


One step at a time

by plikki



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Time Travel, pre-reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26081665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plikki/pseuds/plikki
Summary: Marinette is very surprised when her future daughter comes to visit her at 15. But it's nothing compared to when she finds out who the girl's father is.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 34
Kudos: 306





	One step at a time

**Author's Note:**

> Oh dear, here I go again...  
> Thanks a million to the Twitter user who came up with this idea and let me use it. I made it more LadyNoir than was the original idea, I think, but this shouldn't surprise you 😄

“Mummy!”

Marinette heard the voice and turned around in surprise just as a small body collided with her. Oh wow, she thought as she looked at the golden-haired head buried against her stomach. 

“I’m sorry, mummy! I know I shouldn’t play with the Miraculous, but I was having so much fun with Fluff and…” Two green eyes peered fearfully at her. She knew she had to say something to calm the distressed child but her mind ground to a halt. Her eyes moved from the blond hair to the green eyes and back and she felt shivers down her spine. It couldn’t be.

“How do you know I’m your mother?” She asked. The child seemed to be 6 or 7. Could she really recognise her? 

“I’ve seen pictures of you from when you were young, mummy,” the girl - her daughter? - said, obviously wondering why her mother was so slow that day. She’d have to take her at her word, there was no reason for the child to lie. But if it was true, how did one go around asking their future daughter who their father was? This would be even more strange. Would the child even know his name? To her it was probably just “daddy”. 

“It’s ok, we’ll get you home, don’t worry,” Marinette said,finally switching to calming mode. 

“Oh, I know how to get home,” the girl said, beaming at her. Oh well, this would be easier than expected, she thought. Until she heard footsteps behind her. Damn.

“M’lady, what is going on?” She heard Chat’s voice. It was bad enough that she was meeting someone she shouldn’t be. Now this? How would he react to meeting her daughter? Seeing the proof of her being with someone else in the future? Her heart ached for him.

Until the girl disengaged from her arms and ran to him.

“Daddy!” her voice rang in the air. 

“Oof”, Chat laughed breathlessly, swaying on his feet as the girl subjected him to the same bone-crushing hug she’d given Marinette. 

She didn’t feel her legs give out but she suddenly found herself kneeling on the ground. It couldn’t be, her mind all but screamed at her. But the proof was right there. The girl obviously knew her dad, she couldn’t be wrong. But this would mean… 

“Hey, sweety, what’s your name?” She heard Chat say in his calm voice. 

“You know my name daddy,” the girl giggled. 

“Humour me.”

“It’s Emma,” the girl said, obviously proud. Even in her befuddled state, Marinette saw something flash through his eyes. The name obviously meant something to him. 

“What are you doing here, Emma?” he asked, crouching down to the girl’s height. Not for the first time Marinette admired his easy way with children. 

“I was playing with the Miraculous and Fluff wanted to show me something.” She could hear the guilt in her voice. 

“Can you get back home?” He asked.

“Oh yeah, it’s over there.” The girl, Emma, pointed and only then did Marinette notice an open portal in the air. “I just saw mummy and wanted to say hi.” With this, the girl turned to her, surprised to see her down on the ground. “Are you okay, mummy?” Marinette barely heard her, her eyes finding Chat’s.

She saw him realise what this meant. They remained like this for a moment, eyes locked. She could see the million scenes running through his mind too. Everything that would lead to that future.

“Mummy is ok. You can go home,” he said finally, smiling at the girl. 

“This was fun! Bye, daddy! Bye, mummy!” She said, waving at them before disappearing inside the portal and leaving them alone. 

“Well, this was interesting,” she heard him say, her eyes still glued to the now empty patch of sky. She could hear he sounded a little breathless. 

“Are you ok though?” He asked, suddenly closer to her. She looked up to see him watching her with a concerned expression. He held out a hand for her to help her get up. She looked at it stupidly for a few seconds and then finally managed to move.

“I’m fine. It’s just… I didn’t expect this,” she admitted as she got up. 

“I bet you didn’t.” She could hear the sympathy in his voice and was just about to smile at him when he added,”I told you you wouldn’t be able to resist me,” and winked at her. 

She felt defiance flare up inside her. The cheeky cat! 

“Don’t get too confident, kitty,” she warned him. “The future is not set in stone.” Throwing his own words back at him had never felt more satisfying. She smiled as he gasped.

“You can’t mean that! You don’t want this little angel erased from the future, right?” He asked, obviously hurt by her suggestion. At his words, she felt doubt seep in. “I can already see myself playing with her, thinking up the craziest games when you’re not there to scold us. You can see she’s got it in her,” he added with a chuckle. “We’ll have long walks, the three of us. We’ll laugh so much. And of course you’ll be the strict parent but wouldn’t be able to resist those pleading eyes.”

She tuned him out for a moment, unwillingly imagining the moments he was describing. It made her feel something unexpected. Longing? There was so much love in his voice when he described that future. He made it sound so simple, so real. 

Her resolve crumbled as the feeling settled. Would it be so bad to let it happen, she wondered? 

A cough brought her back to the present to see Chat smiling awkwardly at her.

“I’m sorry, I got a little carried away,” he said, obviously embarrassed by sharing his dreams with her. She smiled tentatively, squeezing the hand she was still holding.

“How about we start slow?” She asked. “With a date,” she added in response to his questioning look. His mouth fell open. He took a step towards her and then stopped, looking down. 

“What is it now?” She asked, curiosity piqued. 

“You have no idea how bad I want to kiss you right now,” he said, still not looking at her. This did wonderful things to her heart, she had to admit but only to herself. She laughed, the sound surprisingly carefree and happy to her ears.

“One step at a time, kitty,” she said, letting some warmth into her voice.

As they walked away together she couldn’t help thinking that maybe he’d get to do that later. 

***

“I’m sorry, mummy,” Emma said, running into Marinette’s arms. “I was playing with Fluff and I went to see you when you were younger.”

Marinette felt her arms tighten around her daughter. She’d known it was about time for that to happen.

“It’s ok, Emma. Just be more careful next time,” she said, sounding stern but understanding too. She shot Fluff a look.

“I’m sorry,” the kwami said. “It won't happen again.” This should be enough for now.

She watched Emma run away to play again, oblivious to the repercussions from her actions.

“What was it this time?” Adrien said as he entered the room. He knew Emma’s penchant for getting into trouble.

“Our daughter just went to visit our 15 year old selves,” Marinette said with a smile. She saw realisation reshape his features. 

“Ah,” he said. Their eyes met and for a second they were back there, on that rooftop, just embarking on their journey together.

“You remember, right?” she teased him. It was almost 15 years ago after all. 

“As clear as day,” he said as he went to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her. Together they watched Emma as she arranged her dolls for a tea party. 

“I was right, you know,” he said in her ear. She knew what he meant. 

“Yes, you were,” she said as she turned around to kiss him. She was more than happy to admit that. 

**Author's Note:**

> I felt so distraught that I couldn't add a kiss and then - Bingo! - bonus scene from the future 😛  
> P.s. I feel so emotional after writing this, it's unbelievable...


End file.
